If you are reading this, you’ve probably not obtained the advertising results you are looking for with other digital channels. You are wondering if it’s worth implementing other ad channels, and if Bing Ads could be a good choice. We won’t reveal all just yet, but one thing is for sure: there is life beyond Google AdWords!
What are Bing Ads?
Bing Ads is a digital advertising service offered by Microsoft, in search engines and properties such as Bing, AOL and Yahoo, with a pay-per-click (PPC) payment structure similar to Google AdWords.
Bing Ads are activated based on a selection of keywords, determined much in the same way as we would select keywords in Google AdWords. Campaigns can also be activated with a shopping feed, which is uploaded to Bing Merchant Center.
Just like in Google, Bingads are displayed on desktops, mobiles and tablets. You can target your campaign to specific countries and languages, just as you would in AdWords.
In fact, the two systems are so similar in their configuration, you can actually import campaigns directly from Google AdWords to Bing Ads.The primary difference between these platforms lies in the search volume you can expect and the use and configuration of BingAds.
Where do Bing Ads appear?
Let’s admit it: if we’re talking about Microsoft’s search market share, comparatively Bing Ads is David and AdWords is Goliath. However, the market continues to evolve, and Bing is now considered an obligatory part of any digital marketing search strategy in quite a few countries.
The United States is the country where Bing has the largest market penetration, about 33%, thanks in part to the fact that it offers search results in Yahoo and AOL. Numbers-wise, this means about 5 billion monthly searches and about 160 million users.
In Europe, the countries where Bing has the highest market share are the UK with 23%, France at 19%, followed by Norway coming in at 18%. In Spain, market share for Bing Ads is about 10%, still worthy of consideration.
What types of campaigns and ads can I create in Bing Ads?
Your advertising options in Bing will vary depending on what country you are targeting. Basically, you can orient your ads to the Bing search network (which is a bit different from Google AdWords where the content network is also included).
The primary ad types you can create in Bing are:
- Expanded Text Ads: which are just like the ones in AdWords, with two titles and a description. These are available in all countries.
- Dynamic Search Ads: these are just like expanded ads, but can created automatically in response to a search or the content of your website, again with a similar function to AdWords. This option is only available in the United Kingdom and the United States.
- Product Ads: these would be the Bing equivalent of Shopping in AdWords. They contain a product image and a promotional copy. Both of these elements are pulled from a product feed which you will need to upload to the Bing Merchant Center. These campaigns are not currently available in Spain, but can be activated in the UK, France, Germany and the U.S.
- Other campaign types: There are some additional options, but these are only available in certain markets. For example, App Install Ads or Microsoft Audience Ads are not available everywhere.
How much will advertising in Bing Ads cost me?
The quick and dirty answer is exactly the same as what it would cost you in AdWords. What we mean is that it will cost you what you have decided to spend based on your business model, objectives and campaign configuration.
If we drill down a bit further, the average cost-per-click in Bing Ads is between 33% and 42% cheaper than in AdWords. As Bing is more economical, this means it can be of great utility when it comes to highly competitive sectors.
Bing’s more affordable price is probably the primary big difference (and advantage) among a variety of factors you should take into account before making a decision on whether to advertise on the platform.
Other differences between Bing and Adwords
As we’ve mentioned, there are not that many differences. You can even import (and syncronize) Google AdWords campaigns into Bing Ads. However, if you choose to do this, you will need to supervise and review some of your campaign configuration details before publishing them: budgets, bids, language targeting, country targeting, match type, negative keywords… all of these options are slightly different in Bing Ads, and you’ll need to take this into account.
Other noteworthy differences include:
- Ad ranking: Unlike Google, Bing search engine still shows ads on the right hand side of the search results. This means that your ads will stand out more in the SERPs, but they won’t occupy the top few positions of the central results area.
- Monthly budgets: In Bing you can select a monthly budget, unlike in Adwords where budgets are daily. For this reason, your budget may run out before you think.
- More ad extensions: Besides all the known ad extensions, in Bing you have an additional option of linking an image to your text ad. This not only reinforces the visibility of your ad, but it can also help to consolidate your brand image.
- Availability: Bing Ads are not available in as many countries as Google AdWords, and not all ad types can be published in all available markets. You should always confirm that your campaign can be published in your target market.
- Growing market share: Bing is the default search engines in Microsoft Internet Explorer / Microsoft Edge in the last three versions of Windows, and not everyone goes to the trouble to change the default internet browser on their system. For this reason, it is logical that there is continued market share to be gained by Bing Ads.
The user and behaviour profile in Bing are different: According to Bing, their average search engine user spends 25% more than users of other search engines. We also know that their average age is a bit higher than that of the average Google user. Usually, people stick to using one single search engine out of habit, so the Bing user is in fact a different profile.
Wrap Up
The final decision is obviously yours, and the decision to integrate Bing Ads into your strategy will depend on your objectives and budget.
Bing advertising can be a good option to boost your conversions at a price that is usually cheaper than AdWords, and there is the added benefit that your ads will show up in almost 100% of relevant searches in many Western countries (remember, we’re talking, Bing + Yahoo + AOL).
If you think advertising with Bing could be a good move for your business, remember that we can help you plan, configure and publish your first campaign. Are you ready to give it a go?
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Paid Media
Carlos has worked as a Performance Marketing Specialist at All Around for 7 years and was the second employee of the agency. With extensive knowledge of paid media platforms such as Google Ads, Bing Ads, or Meta Ads, he was in charge of SEM campaigns for a wide portfolio of clients during his time at All Around.
